How far would I travel to be where you are?

[light_mischief]

Who: Skulduggery Pleasant and YOU!
What: Skulduggery is organizing his thoughts and plans like a rational, well-balanced individual. Don't you want to be a part of that?
When: The days before the event (pick between May 3-9 for chronology)
Where: Photos at Sea! Some random deck! The pool! Somewhere else??
Warnings: Nothing specific, but generally: talk about death, destruction, torture, you know, that kind of stuff.
Notes: A little bit of everything here, from conspiracy plotting to star-lit poolside interludes. Skulduggery's trying to find a pattern in the passengers (lol good luck buddy) as well as some alternative transportation -- if your character has been thinking about hitting the high seas, Skulduggery is here to provide ideological support. If you want to learn some magic, well... maybe he can help there, too!
(PS: I used brackets, but if you prefer prose, I will follow your lead!)



1. [photos at sea] i got boxes full of pepe!

[Skulduggery can be found perusing the souvenir photographs some days. Well, perusing is the wrong word -- really, he seems to be arbitrarily rearranging the pictures, occasionally scribbling on them with a gaudy souvenir pen. It's basic stuff, really: if he recognizes somebody, he labels them; if he knows how they arrived, he moves them to one side; if they know magic, they're on the upper rows; that sort of thing. He can't take the pictures with him -- he's tried, okay, it's not worth the heartbreak -- so he's just going to cut out the middle man.

They still disappear, of course, and so more often than not Skulduggery can be heard swearing as he refills empty spots with new photos, trying to remember what goes where. Someone ought to tell him that the conspiracy theorist look isn't doing him any favors.]

2. [the decks] it's about the implication!

[On another day, Skulduggery is spotted out on the decks. It's a long stretch of open space, perfect for pacing while deep in thought, and Skulduggery's been pretty deep in thought lately. The information he's gained so far is scattered far and wide over a vast array of questions, and without Valkyrie here to bounce ideas off, he's forced to talk to himself.

Which he does. Mostly as he's examining one of the lifeboats, as thoroughly as a time-traveller aboard the Titanic.]

No holes. That would've been my first bet, too. Lifevests accounted for, flares -- hmmm. All of them replaced? Yeah, seems like. What was it he said...

[If it's not one stream of thought that catches attention, then it might be the latter, when he sends a few fireballs out into the distance, watching them evaporate uselessly on their way to the horizon from his comfy lounging spot on the lifeboat.] Not that near, then. Over a kilometer? Lots of room, there...

3. [the pool] do not try to swim to europe!

[Finally, and probably most unsettlingly: Skulduggery spends one afternoon in the pool.

Literally, I mean. His suit jacket, hat, and shoes are all neatly set aside on one of the chairs, while Skulduggery himself is hanging out in the deep end wearing his slacks and shirt. He can be seen walking laps across the surface of the water, which rolls rhythmically beneath him, as if trying to emulate a comfortable meadow full of gentle hills. Every so often, he starts to sink; sometimes just to his ankles, sometimes as deep as his waist. When that happens, Skulduggery shakes his head and stomps his feet extra hard as he climbs right back out. At some point, he's rolled up his sleeves, which you know means business.]

3b. [the pool] nightman cometh
[There's a chance, of course, that it's after dark: if that's the case, Skulduggery's actually floating on the water, sinking under the surface and rising again like cork bark. He's manipulating the water beneath him, forming a column that rises a few feet above the water level, laying back and doing a little star-gazing. There's a song he's humming, but otherwise, for once, he's not filling the quiet with chatter. If it weren't for the pool lights and the moving water, maybe you wouldn't even notice he was there.]

4. [wildcard] yee-haw!
[Got something specific in mind? Throw it up here and I'll come to YOU! Skulduggery is all over the ship, aside from the buffet, and he's extremely interested in any stories you have to tell him. ESPECIALLY ones about your world, or the captain. He loves those stories the most!]

Comments

1.

[decohere]

Ava doesn't consider herself a conspiracy theorist so much as an... obsessive observer of the unfortunate truths of the world. She cares less about the obvious lies and more about the distraction that they provide from the even deeper rooted secrets. And it frustrates her a bit that she hasn't made much progress in figuring out what's happening on this ship. Or why.

Which is to say she can immediately recognize what the skeleton is doing as he scribbles on and arranges the pictures. Or at least what she assumes. She watches him for a bit, lurking invisible, noting his struggles as a photo there one moment suddenly is no longer until she finally decides to inspect some of the photos herself, fading back into view as she shuffles a few aside. Lots of new faces lately.

There's no cameras around the ship that she's ever been able to find. And there's the uncomfortable weirdness of having your likeness captured doing things you never had with people you've never even spoken with. "You're a corkboard and some red string short of doing this proper," Ava comments in her soft accent. She finds one of the skeleton man, drinking from a loopy straw out of a coconut and wearing shiny reflective sunglasses on the pool deck, and offers it over. "This one is cute."

[light_mischief]

It says a lot about Skulduggery's current focus that he doesn't immediately notice when somebody else appears nearby. He hasn't had any real rest since he arrived, though, and he hasn't been feeling the air for displacements, so Ava's sudden appearance manages to momentarily startle him. Thankfully, he's a skeleton, so he hides his surprise pretty well.

"If I could have found some string, I might've. Then again, I'm probably pushing my luck writing on them." Any minute, he expects Gal Friday to show up and tell him off for destroying property. Never mind that it all disappears eventually. Even the picture she hands him is going to disappear the second he turns his back on it.

Then he looks at it and wishes it would just vanish right away. "Now, that's just a little bit insulting." And yet, up on the board it goes, alongside equally insulting candids of an unremembered karaoke party and one particularly bloodthirsty game of shuffleboard.

He takes a step back to look at his current groupings and notes that it does look a little bit manic, doesn't it? He gestures toward the whole mess and asks her, "Does this look crazy to you, too, or...?"

[decohere]

She gives a bit of a chuckle at his reaction. "Right? Wouldn't it go right through you?"

Ava strokes her chin in the mimicry of giving something deep meaningful consideration to his question. Crazy. "Well, yes. Unless we're being mind wiped every night," she proposes casually. Missing that he probably means his rearrangement of the photos and not the fact that they exist at all.

She squints at a picture of somebody else, a man with such beautiful blue eyes, her fingers twitching with desire to take it. But she knows better, shoves her hands into her pockets instead. "What are you looking for, exactly? A pattern?"

2.

[makesomedeals]

Fantastic. One of the few people here he doesn't entirely despise and apparently he's gone insane and is talking to nothing.

"Planning to take one of those out for a joyride?" said as Skulduggery relaxes into one of the lifeboats before fireballing the poor air that did nothing wrong.

"And who are you talking to?"

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery stares at the fireball disappearing into the air. He'd expected there to be a barrier close by the ship -- something narrower, or at least something more likely to react to having fire hurled at it. So far, no dice.

He seems surprised that somebody actually responded to him, but he's his usual chipper self as he says, "Good to see you. I'm thinking I might, maybe. If the weather stays nice. And..."

Don't say "my partner trapped in a separate reality from me," do not say "my partner trapped in a separate reality from me" --

"...I was talking to you?"

Nailed it.

[makesomedeals]

"Of course you were." He's not convinced by that for a millisecond.

"Considering there's nothing out there, and you can't starve to death, it's probably a bad idea to go floating off into the nothingness of the ocean with no sense of direction. You may be out there for an eternity."

Not that he cares what Skulduggery does one bit. And no he's not wearing that shirt. He is in his suit like a respectable billionaire Omnic.

3B

[saltwaterlungs]

Darcy's up haunting the ship, way past her bed-time. It was force of habit- after all the mundane duties of her day she'd sneak in an hour or two to patrol her neighborhood, back home. See if any new spirits had moved in, if there were any dangers she needed to take care of. The ship was inert and unchanging, however, populated by ghosts unlike any she'd encountered that asked nothing of her and hungered for nothing.

Usually she gives the pool a wide berth, for reasons that were obvious to her. But she heard... singing, which coaxed her to creep a little closer than she usually did. Skulduggery was a sight for sore eyes, which was an odd thing to think about a skeleton floating in a pool, but hey, this was a weird place to begin with.

Feeling just a tinge of mischief come across her, she flexed her fingers, her sympathy with the element causing part of Skulduggery's column of water to splash over him.

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery has been having a pretty good night after a long day of exercising, and this little waterbed of his had been a treat. He's not aware of anyone else around, a combination of being lost in thought and overly focused on the strange constellations in the sky. He's been trying to figure out if any of them are even remotely similar to his own, and if not, whose stars are they?

And then he's getting splashed in the face.

There's no denying he makes an ugly little squawking noise, his column of water splashing back down abruptly into the pool. He's underwater for about five seconds before he rises, sitting on the surface of the water with his knees still submerged.

He sees Darcy and, from his tone? He is certainly pouting. "You know, normal people would just say 'hello' to their friends when they see them."

[saltwaterlungs]

Okay, she might be giggling at that noise, even if his tone implied he wasn't happy about being disturbed. She leans against the nearest wall, not daring to inch a hair closer to the water.

"Maybe, but this is funnier."

Another wave of her hand and the water splashed him from behind.

"Take a joke, ehn?"

2

[lightconductor]

There's a skeleton going through the lifeboat.

What is a doctor even meant to do with this? Watson has met some very peculiar people, by his standards, and he's thought that he's adapted pretty well, but that's just an animated skeleton. In a suit.

Maybe he should just turn around and walk away. But on the other hand... maybe not. When the fireballs go flying off uselessly, Watson is entirely unable to contain himself any further.

"What the devil--" And he chokes himself off, completely unsure of how to follow that up.

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery, to his credit, immediately pulls his hands to his chest like he just got caught lighting a cigarette by Gal Friday. (This isn't much credit to give, but hey. He's taking what he can get, where he can get it.)

He's getting stared at. That's normal, and obviously he's used to it, but he should probably do something. Say something? Definitely has to say something.

"Uh..." He lifts a hand.

"Hello, there..."

Yeah, perfect.

"Sorry about the fireball. Don't worry, it's harmless. I'm harmless, too. I mean, mostly."

[lightconductor]

"You're a skeleton," Watson says, and immediately looks annoyed at himself for it. That's... probably unconscionably rude. But also, he's a skeleton. He puts his hand over his eyes.

"I am sorry," he says, with an effort. "You're... look, I have met some very peculiar people since I arrived on this ship, but none of them were... animated skeletons. I am entirely at a loss." He pauses. "The fireball is... perhaps the least of my concerns."

3B

[treadwater]

Undine was hoping no one would be around so she could do her own late night swim and mental reset, but seeing someone manipulating the water, she sits down at the edge of the pool, considering whether she wants to...you know. Make a fuss about her own water powers, transform, the whole kit and caboodle.

And she decides she's not fully up for that. Not tonight.

Naw, she's dipping her toesies and listening to his humming, even humming along a bit as she relaxes. It's a relaxing enough song, she supposes--not familiar to her, though.

[light_mischief]

It takes a little while for Skulduggery to realize he's not alone. It's been... a long day, even considering how little he's accomplished throughout it, and most of his attention is spent on simply keeping afloat. It's the longest he's gone without stepping off the surface since... well, a while, to be sure. He thinks he might be able to stay afloat all day if he keeps at it like this.

It takes time, but not a lot of it, and he eventually picks up on the accompanying voice. The water is moving by the ledge, and now that he's looking for it he can just faintly feel it. He props himself up on an elbow, catching sight of an unfamiliar girl.

Since it's not like he can just... hide his skeletal shape, not as underdressed as he is, he goes for the more "obliviously friendly" route, raising a hand in a lazy wave. "Hello. Lovely night, isn't it?"

[treadwater]

"I mean, all the nights here have been about the same by this point. Hard to call a night especially lovely when they're all like this." She shrugs.

Like, she's realized he's kinda really very bony and all, but he seems harmless--not like a monster or anything. Monsters don't talk, either (except Goops, but she's an exception in a lot of ways), so she's pretty sure she might be safe. Maybe. Probably? Maybe. Perhaps he's from a world where no one has skin. It's probably rude to ask.

"Room in the water for one more?"

3b

[sictransitgloriamundi]

[sitting cross-legged on the deck chair, trying on his hat.]

[light_mischief]

[oh it's this guy again...]

Out and about, I see. Seems to be a rare treat. Thinking about taking a dip?

[sictransitgloriamundi]

I hate water. [puts his own hat back on. frowns. puts other hat on again.] I only come out if I find something interesting to do. Gal takes care of most of the boring work. Talking to people, and such.

2;

[fonomena]

[You know, not a lot of people actually tend to be terribly interested in the lifeboats of this ship, for some reason--maybe it has something to do with all novelty being immediately worn off by the mandatory arrival muster drill, or the fact that there are well over dozens of other things to poke and prod at on the ship overall! Not like there's been an event that's actually pushed anyone into using them either, at least not just yet...even if they'd perhaps gotten rather close, with Hurricane Jenny some weeks back.

Either way, this fact alone already makes Skulduggery an interesting sight to see midway through a walk across this particular section of deck for a fact, lounging about in a lifeboat as he currently is. --And even if that hadn't been interesting enough on its own, the fireballs lazily launched out to sea just sort of complete the quaintly unique picture of it all. Yes, these two things by themselves are enough to draw Jade over to railing beside him, pace idle and posture casual as he leans upon it to properly track the soaring progress and eventual fizzling of the flames over the sea.]

Looking for the barrier out there, are we? [His tone, too, is idly humored...at least to begin with.] I believe it's actually quite a ways further out, if the rumors are true, though I'm certainly not about to fault a test of--

[--Still, you know. It's around this point that he's actually really looking over to where Skulduggery's seated, and--

Oh. Oh? From behind he'd cut the profile of a pretty skinny sort of person, to be sure, but--in retrospect...Jade's actually not sure how he didn't notice this at least a bit sooner? Because this sure is a skeleton, if he's ever seen one...! And the surprise is sharp enough to break off the rest of that sentence with a thoroughly startled sort of blink to accompany it...before a rather incredulous sort of smile falls into place anew, pairing alongside a short laugh.]

--Oh, you must be rather newly arrived! I'm quite sure I'd remember seeing a face like yours in passing, otherwise...

[light_mischief]

[As it turns out, being a walking skeleton has been less of a detriment aboard the ship than Skulduggery could have ever expected. Only one or two people have been well and truly startled by him; more than that, several have outright ignored his situation altogether.

That's why it doesn't shock him like it used to when somebody casually picks up a conversation with him out of nowhere. He's been making a bit of a scene with the fireballs, after all, and somebody else is bound to notice.

He looks over just in time to see the stunned realization, glad not to be met with a yell or shout.]

I have heard my cheekbones could stop traffic. [He lifts a hand, gloved but with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.] Skulduggery Pleasant, and yes, I'm new. New-ish. No idea how long it's been, really, I wasn't keeping track.

[fonomena]

[--Huh, the voice that comes out from the skull now turned to appraise Jade in turn is unexpected--pleasantly accented by some region he can't place, and also entirely normal in the terms of tone and timbre you'd hear from any other human being, quite despite the very obvious lack of a tongue or vocal cords to facilitate the sound. Staring with an intently rapt sort of attention as Skulduggery speaks, Jade finds himself possessed of a brief and overwhelming urge to step closer--to have a closer look in general, you know--because from here there doesn't seem to be anything holding the bones together, and his fon slots aren't detecting any sort of fonic arte immediately at play. Granted, by now Jade's also well aware that there are magic systems represented here quite different from his own--feats achieved in some places that would be unheard of in his own home--and...

Oh, but the pause that's now fallen is stretching just a bit long. Jade's expression could still be said to be caught somewhere halfway between fascination and thorough amusement; not so much at Skulduggery's expense as it is at...all of this? This whole situation? Goodness, the passengers brought to this ship really do just continue to surprise in all sorts of ways, just when you've started getting used to the idea! Truthfully Jade probably wouldn't be reacting half this amiably if he were rather more freshly plucked from his own world--in fact, his first notion might very well have been that Skulduggery might be some strange form of monster, to be treated with an according amount of wariness.

But now...well! Things are different nowadays. This skeleton man is just sitting there, anyway, conversational as can be? Jade keeps himself exactly where he'd leaned upon the railing initially despite baser scientific urges, if only out of some lingering sense of good manners--and speaking of good manners...]

...My, I really must beg your pardon. There's a bit to take in, here-- [an idle gesture at...the lifeboat in general, and its skeletal contents] --I'm afraid I can already feel myself getting thoroughly sidetracked! You've probably gotten this sort of thing a lot since arriving, though, no doubt. "Skulduggery", is it...?

[Good heavens, even the name--there really is a whole package, here! Jade does at least have the presence of mind to offer a nod of acknowledgment after only a much smaller pause.]

Well met! Colonel Jade Curtiss, Third Division, Malkuth Imperial Forces. [Doubtless correlating to the uniform-like lines and layers of the teal clothing he's currently wearing; Jade has had yet to truly acclimate to the fashion of the clothing shops around here in general, truth be told. --But that aside, the titles are listed off with a habitual sort of air bordering on resigned, and accompanied by a rue smile immediately afterwards. Because yes, he's already aware--] --Though I imagine the chances of such terms meaning anything to you are thin. Force of habit where work introductions are concerned, you could say...I've been wondering if I ought to try harder to drop it eventually, to be honest. Most others here seem to be from...oh, surely you're not from 'Earth' yourself, are you?

3

[takemehunting]

[ That is a really neat skill, to be able to just walk on water instead of sinking, unless he's done something to the water?

To test that, Razor sticks his hand in. No he's not going to drink it this time, he's been told not to. ]

How?

[ He asks, looking at Skulduggery with a curious expression, although he hadn't expanded upon that. ]

[light_mischief]

[Skulduggery can appreciate the brevity, as he walks over casual as you please on top of the water.] Neat, isn't it? It's magic.

[And because some people have magic on their world, he's more specific:] I can manipulate the water and the air so that I stay afloat.

1. hope you don't mind a late-ish tag!

[prodigalmess]

[ If Skulduggery needs someone to tell him that being a conspiracy theorist isn't a good look, that person is sadly not Malcolm. He's seen the skeleton man before and thus has gotten over his initial shock that there is a walking, talking skeleton on the ship. Malcolm hasn't had a chance to speak to him yet, but when he realizes what he's doing with the photos, it intrigues him. ]

I wish the pictures wouldn't disappear overnight.

i am so totally for it!

[light_mischief]

[Skulduggery steps back from his... "work" as he's approached, putting his hands on his hips as if that might help him understand what he's looking at better.]

I found that out the hard way. My next step is to get some paper and trace the images, but... [He knows as soon as he leaves, the pictures he's using are going to disappear. It's a real problem.] Still, I suppose this is better than nothing. Or, maybe it is nothing. I'm not sure yet.